REFUGIO – Travis Quintanilla may be the first football player in Bobcat history to be a cover boy in the Dave Campbell Texas Football magazine’s summer edition.

And the intrepid quarterback who helped the Bobcats win a state championship in his sophomore year will be representing 2A football in the upcoming summer issue.

Refugio Head Coach and Athletic Director Jason Herring said the magazine usually picks most valuable players in every classification to be the cover boys.

“We’re lucky to have Travis,” Herring said.

“If all goes well (this coming season), he will break two records,” Herring added.

Quintanilla already has the Texas record for single game passing. He threw 10 touchdown passes in one game to set the record.

One record he could break is held by Garrett Gilbert, who has the mark for the all-time passing yardage: 12,534 yards.

Quintanilla has amassed 8,690 yards and needs 3,844 yards to match the record. He racked up 4,005 yards last season and 3,939 yards in the state championship year.

Gilbert played for Lake Travis during 2006-08 to set the record. He went on to the University of Texas for a couple of years before signing up as the starting quarterback for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

The other record Quintanilla could break is held by Graham Harrell of Ennis. It is the all-time career passing for touchdowns: 167 passes.

Quintanilla has totaled 118 passes since his freshman year. He’ll need to throw 49 passes to match the record.

Harrell attended Texas Tech for four years and is currently the quarterback for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.

Herring said Quintanilla has a good chance to break those records.

Quintanilla said his focus will be to win state again although breaking the records would be great.

“I feel amazed,” Quintanilla said about being selected to be the cover boy.

He will play as a senior and quarterback to lead the Bobcats on the way to another state championship this year, he said.

Not sure about where he will attend college after high school, he said he was focusing on his studies in school.

When he was a freshman, he admitted being anxious.

“I was kind of nervous. I was a younger quarterback over seniors,” he said.

Quintanilla said he thinks he has improved through the years and knows he has grown stronger.

He recounted the disappointment last year when the team lost. The loss was his first.

“Tears running down from eyes – it was tough to see,” he said.

Quintanilla’s first love is baseball, but he said he’d play either football or baseball in college or in the pros.

He can throw a 90 mph fast ball. And that may add to his accuracy as a passer.

“I believe it did (help) – the pitching,” he said.

Quintanilla predicted more play action this year. He said last year he had plenty of time to connect to a receiver, but those who provided the blocking graduated and are gone.

“I’m hoping in the end, we’ll be back in Dallas’s stadium,” he said.

Quintanilla credited his cousin Coach Anthony Quintanilla for helping him through the years.